New company giving me old truck

yes plenty of megas have newer equipment to haul their cheap freight
our company only hires experienced drivers.
they assign the senior drivers to the new trucks.
but they wanna run the new trucks two shifts to pay them off so the newer drivers are out there beating them up on the night shift so they can get home a minute earlier.
they have 300 trucks and they need drivers so you gotta wreck the whole thing to get fired
they put the 2011 macks at my location but they look good and i try to keep it clean and out of the shop which requires swapping into a loaner. its got 955000 plus miles and uses no oil or coolant
all trucks and trailers have new brake shoes and many new slack adjusters

 

While I tend to agree there are very good paying otr jobs out there and guys that make a killing doing it but I completely see where you are coming from. The good otr jobs (and this is not meant to talk down on anyone's job, just an observation) are getting to be fewer and farther between because of all the mega jobs out there. I looked into going otr to try something new and I see what you are saying with the pay.....I stayed local. I do think you have the right thought process with if I'm gonna get paid less and live in it why not have it brand new....perk of the job.

 

Sorry, but I never said it bothers me for someone wanting new equipment, infact while I never bought a brand new one, I always did buy 3 year old or less.
And what makes you think we take pride in driving older trucks, we do take pride in taking care of our trucks, so that they do not have to be traded every three years or so, to have a decent ride, plus some of us buy something besides a throw away truck to start with, something a guy is not going to get with new fleet trucks.
I let one driver have a dog in a truck, and while the driver nor the dog was messy, I stripped the interior to bare metal and started over before I put another driver in it. So yes I don't care if it is a 1927 model chain driven white, an old truck can be as clean as one sitting on the lot.
Us old timers are proud of what we did and we drove old trucks for sure, we also drove new trucks, that we don't want to ever have to drive again, unless maybe in a parade or something.
Now as far as why am I still living in a truck running otr, I have not been for over 10 years, but that is besides the point. I could go back to it tomorrow, and while ltl is probably as good a money as a company driver is likely to get, I can promise you that I made as much as the best or better jobs that are available.
Now personally if I was in the market for a new truck today, which I am not and will not be, it would not be a 3 year old or even a 6 year old, it would be a 2000 model or older, but that is just me and my preference.
If I was looking for a driving job, which I am not and will not be, I would either want a brand new one, or a preemission one, just because of the down time I see guys having with the newer trucks. Again, that would just be my preference, if I needed a job, I imagine I would drive what was available for the best pay I could get.

I know not all new trucks have slobs driving them, but there are plenty of the gimme type drivers that are.

Now the real question is what gives you the right to look down at a driver willing to run an older truck, and tell anyone that it is worth as much as 10 grand off of their pay to drive a newer one. I don't look down at drivers driving what they do to make a living, unless it is unsafe junk, and don't care if it is a 20 20, or a 1956, it is really not any of my business, what a guy does for a living

 

I always read on here drivers say they can't afford to go home very much so they probably don't earn so much
Years ago I considered otr and wound up on TTR
My research showed there would be no gain
I'm glad I put my time in here and and am able to work 5 days a week and go home daily
If you delay too long your health will go bad from sitting 11 hours a day and you will age and you will be committed to otr

 

You got out of the Penske? Must have missed that. Hope it's going well. Thanks for the nice comment. But it's a freightliner, almost a truck. But it's a work truck.

 

I miss having a usable pull out table. But other than that it's pretty nice. Yet in reality to me there ain't nothing finer than a Freightliner.
Have you checked Freightliner Classic prices lately they are as much as a 379.

 

They have always been about the same if speced about the same.

 

No, I like mine and catch alot of sheet from others. I dont really care. Its lighter, pretty easy to work on. Parts are cheap and makes money. That Fld, Classic or XL are down right money making work trucks. Nothing fancy.

 

You want to find out:

Do they have a pay package in place in case the truck is in the shop? How much would they be paying you daily? Is there a weekly guaranteed pay?

 

I always tell new employers to give me the oldest truck they have, because I'm new to them and trucking and they don't know me. As long as it passes PTI and drives safe, I'll run it.

Funny thing, they end up giving me better ones. Not always newer, but better kept. I've heard mumbling about how they're going to get that cab painted soon and I tell them not to bother, it's fine the way it is. In one case I got issued an older cab with a newly rebuilt C13 to break in, the shop guys told me I was perfect for doing that, not sure why they thought so.

If the truck they issue you is unsafe or severely damaged, protect yourself and your license and move on.

But likely it'll be a good truck for you. Just look past the paint to the parts that keep you safe.